Wipro opens first Rural BPO center in Tamil Nadu

BANGALORE, INDIA: Wipro BPO, the Business Process Outsourcing arm of Wipro Technologies, today announced the inauguration of its first rural BPO center at Manjakkudi Village in Tamil Nadu.

The Manjakkudi center has a capacity of 120 seats, and will open with a 50-seat pilot project for an international client in the retail sector, said a press release.

Wipro plans to expand its rural BPO operations to 500 seats in Tamil Nadu by March 2013, and to replicate this BPO model across other states in India in the near future.

The Manjakkudi center is a result of a tie-up with the Swami Dayananda Educational Trust, a public charitable trust involved in providing quality education to the economically-backward sections of rural Tamil Nadu, the release added.

Manjakkudi is a village on the banks of the River Cauvery in the Thiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu with a population of about 2,500.

Center to focus on delivering world-class outsourcing services

Conceptualized on the 'Back Office to the Back Office' (BOBO) outsourcing model, the focus of the center is to capitalize on the literate talent pool available in the region and in doing so, create employment opportunities in the village and its surrounding areas, the release added.

Graduate students between the age group of 21 and 25 will be employed in the Manjakkudi Wipro BPO center, delivering a range of services to customers across industry sectors.

The Manjakkudi BPO center benefits from a fully-equipped IT and physical infrastructure, which complies with standard security and regulatory requirements. The center will be focused on delivering world-class outsourcing services, while connecting this rural community to the world of global business, the release added.

Manjakkudi BPO to take on bulk data processing jobs: Manish Dugar

"Wipro's leadership has always been determined to bring opportunity to rural communities through the application of technology — whether that comes from the delivery of a service to that community, or, as in this case, giving the community the chance to realize its potential. Rural BPOs are a crucial part of the development of our country as a business leader," said Manish Dugar, senior vice-president and global head, Wipro BPO.

Dugar added, "What we see happening is that the established, urban, BPO centers are taking on more specialized, knowledge-based services. This means that the natural opportunity for rural BPO centers, like Manjakkudi, is to take on the bulk data processing jobs."

He further reiterated that the Rural BPOs are also allowing educated people in villages earn a good livelihood without leaving the region and bringing a new level of financial stability to these communities and individuals. This initiative is a part of Wipro's long-term strategy to expand its Rural BPO presence to other parts of India.

M.R. Rajgopal, who works as an assistant manager at the Wipro Manjakkudi BPO center, explained, "This center opens up new opportunities for me and my colleagues. In the past, professional jobs like these were only available in the cities, which meant leaving the community. We aspire to make this center one of the best-respected rural BPO centers in India to show just how much rural communities like ours can contribute to our country."